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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · foot · file · chair · tear · lie · tube · ground

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. foot — a measure
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tube — the underground
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ground — a position
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com